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After two months of delay, we continue to wait for Senate Republicans’ next #COVID relief plan. But indications from public officials and news reports are that it will be highly inadequate and fail to meet the needs of a nation reeling from a pandemic and economic crisis. 1/
The proposal reportedly fails to include any plan to help families afford rent, even though 1 in 5 renters — 13.8M adults — were behind on rent in the week ending July 14, Census data show. Yet... https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/more-relief-needed-to-alleviate-hardship
...Eviction moratoriums are set to expire. A potential tidal wave of evictions looms.
The proposal apparently also fails to increase #SNAP (food stamp) benefits to help people put food on the table. Census data show 26M adults reported in early July that their household sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat in the last 7 days.
These types of hardship are particularly prevalent among Black, Latino, Indigenous, & immigrant households, Census & other data show. If the Senate GOP plan fails to address serious hardship adequately, these large inequities will become even more acute. https://www.cbpp.org/research/family-income-support/lift-voices-describe-hardships-among-black-and-latina-mothers-in
The Senate GOP proposal is expected to cut #unemployment benefits substantially for people who have lost their jobs, increasing hardship and weakening the economy. 1.4M people newly filed for unemployment this week; more than 30M people are unemployed.
And with the virus surging, economic activity is slowing again in many areas.
The proposal fails to provide anything close to the level of fiscal relief that states & localities need to avoid large-scale layoffs & budget cuts that would prolong & deepen the recession, damage education, & harm many who rely on public services. https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/states-continue-to-face-large-shortfalls-due-to-covid-19-effects
The only new fiscal aid to states reportedly would be modest funding for schools. And by conditioning much of the aid on school re- openings, the plan would increase risks to teachers and schoolchildren. https://www.cbpp.org/blog/senate-republicans-out-of-touch-plan-would-pressure-schools-to-reopen
The plan also ignores the bipartisan call from the nation’s governors for further federal #Medicaid assistance to states as they confront rising health costs due to the pandemic and recession. https://www.nga.org/policy-communications/organizations-letter-advocating-for-enhanced-federal-medicaid-match/
Instead, the plan reportedly offers only “flexibility” in how states can use previously provided fiscal aid, even as states face an estimated $555 billion in shortfalls over the next few years due to collapsing sales and income tax revenue. https://www.cbpp.org/blog/senate-republicans-only-offer-states-nearly-meaningless-flexibility
In short, it appears the emerging proposal will fall far short of meeting the scale & nature of the profound challenges before us. Under the plan, hardship wld rise, suffering wld intensify & the economy wouldn’t receive the strong boost it so badly needs. https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/failed-reopenings-highlight-urgent-need-to-build-on-federal-fiscal-support
